Born in Watford, Shaun Pinner served for nine years with the British Army's Royal Anglian Regiment, latterly as part of 24 Airmobile Brigade on operations for the UN in Bosnia. He joined the Ukrainian military in 2018 as the country rebuilt its armed forces following the annexation of Crimea. He was deployed to a forward position with the Air Assault Company, 1st Battalion, 36th Brigade, Ukrainian Marines when Russian invaded in February 2022. Captured after the siege of Mariupol, he spent the next six months as prisoner of war. Following his release in September 2022, Shaun was awarded Ukraine's Order of Courage by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He has since travelled extensively briefing NATO forces on his experiences. He is currently living in Ukraine with his wife, Larysa.